The Adams family

Five players were ejected from NBA games for lashing out at Adams during his rookie campaign last season.

Exhibit A: Zach Randolph. Z-Bo was suspended for Game 7 of the Grizzlies' first round playoff series against Oklahoma City after punching Adams in the jaw in Game 6.

Exhibits B-E: In mid-December Jordan Hamilton threw a punch at the kiwi which sent the Denver Nugget to the locker room for an early shower; Larry Sanders was tossed on January 11 after elbowing Adams in the face; Nate Robinson and Vince Carter each met the same fate last season for the same type of thing.

Hilariously, as his opponents lose their cool Steven Adams' demeanour never wavers. He simply looks unperturbed.

When Carter hit him flush in the jaw with a deliberate and vicious elbow, Adams didn't even flinch - he just stayed focused on the offensive rebound that was in front of him. It was as though he didn't even feel it, or at least didn't care whether or not the refs were going to call it. Same thing when Randolph lashed out.

A local Oklahoma City reporter asked Adams last year how he was able to take such a beating. His response? "Have you seen my sister? Look her up, bro."

Valerie Adams is one of the greatest women's shot putters in history. Standing 193cm (6'4") tall, she weighs close to 120kg and won gold at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She is the first woman in history to win four consecutive individual titles at the world track and field championships, regardless of event.

Valerie is one of Steven's 17 siblings. That's right…. 17 brothers and sisters. Steven's father, Sid Adams, was an Englishman who settled in New Zealand after serving in the Royal Navy. Steven, whose mother is Tongan, is the youngest of Sid's 18 children.

Sid was an important influence in Steven's life as a youngster and when he passed away in 2006, the then 13-year-old Adams went off the rails.

"When I lost my dad, that was a big hit for me," Adams told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while he was playing for the University of Pittsburgh early last year.

"I didn't have that parental guidance, and I kind of took advantage of it because I was a stupid idiot. I decided not to go to school a couple of times, go when I felt like it. I always lied to my brothers and sisters. They'd ask: 'Are you going to school?' I'd say 'yeah.' They eventually found out."

It was at that point that Steven's older brother Warren, himself a former professional baller in the NZNBL, took Steven under his wing and invited him to relocate from Rotorua and live with him in Wellington. Warren helped his little brother gain entry into a good school as well as a top-notch basketball academy, run by former Washington State Cougar Kenny McFadden.

Steven's brother Warren also served as the connection that would eventually see the big man play Division 1 college ball in the States.

Jamie Dixon, the coach at the University of Pittsburgh, had played against Warren during a stint competing in the NZBL. That link, as tenuous as it may seem, would lead Dixon to recruit the younger Adams to join the Panthers prior to the 2012/13 season.

Adams proved the local doubters wrong when he knuckled down to his schoolwork and received the grades that would allow him to take up Dixon's scholarship offer. One year at Pitt and the time was right last year for Adams to declare for the NBA Draft.

After being selected by the Thunder with the 12th pick overall, Adams' rookie campaign was a runaway success.

Whilst he averaged only 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 14.8 minutes per game last season, it's not all about the numbers for Adams on the talented Oklahoma City squad.

"He's very active," Head Coach Scott Brooks said about Adams when asked what he brought to the team. "He clogs the paint defensively and he rebounds the basketball. Those are the things we like about him."

After an impressive regular season that earned him a place on the All-Rookie Second Team, the 21-year-old Adams was outstanding during Oklahoma City's deep playoff run last season; displaying poise beyond his years under the bright lights of the postseason.

He barely played through the first five games of the opening playoff round vs Memphis but played 20+ mins in consecutive wins in Games 6 and 7 to help close out the series.

Adams went on to average 21.5 minutes a game in the Conference Semis vs the Los Angeles Clippers and 22.7 minutes in the Conference Finals against the Spurs. His double-double off the bench in Game 6 against the Clips proved crucial to the Thunder advancing.

Heading into the 2014/15 season, Adams, who showed up to OKC Media Day with a Tom Selleck-inspired moustache, has every chance to land the starting centre role over highly-paid veteran Kendrick Perkins.

"There are starting lineups to be fought for," Brooks told Thunder media last week. "Minutes to be competed for. This is where you make those decisions in 30 days [of training camp]. The 30 days will determine the best group."

Many believe Brooks sees Adams as the front-runner to start at the five on opening night.

Perkins, who will miss the first couple of weeks of training camp due to a strained quad, is up for the battle.

"To be honest with you, I think going into training camp, it's always a position battle," Perkins said last week. "Every year going in, if you're not one of the $100 million guys, it's always a position battle. I'm always approaching training camp like that."

On the floor, Adams is still very much a work in progress.

He struggled last season to adjust to the speed of the NBA game - particularly on the defensive end - often resulting in missed or late rotations and sky-high foul per minute numbers. He was quicker in the playoffs.

Adams also become more aware, as the season progressed, of what to do in the half-court offence; including where to stand, who to screen and when to stay out of the way.

"I'm more aware of what I'm doing," Adams said last week during OKC's Media Day. "Now I have a good idea of how things work. I have that confidence now."

Nick Collison, a 10-year veteran of the NBA's painted areas, was influential in helping Adams navigate his massive rookie learning-curve. The two shared most of their playing time together last season and Collison spent much of the year talking to Adams during each break in play; reviewing the previous possession and/or preparing for the next one.

Just quietly, when it comes to off-ball spacing, there is probably nobody better in the entire Association than Nick Collison.

Having played in the Thunder system with Durant and Westbrook for a long time, Collison has become the master at getting deep along the baseline and timing his step towards the basket to absolute perfection - something Adams showed tremendous improvement with throughout last season.

Adams has the potential to become an elite NBA defender. He is physical with his direct opponent - rarely giving up deep post position in the paint - and moves his feet very well for a big man, making him generally effective on pick-and-roll coverage.

He also has great length and timing around the rim. Only five players (Serge Ibaka, DeAndre Jordan, Tim Duncan, Roy Hibbert and Kevin Durant) blocked more shots than Adams in the entire playoffs last year.

Where Adams is at his best, however, is attacking the offensive glass.

His massive 7-0 frame certainly helps him cause havoc on the offensive glass, but there is much more to it than just that. Somewhere along the way he's been taught some clever tricks of the offensive rebounding trade.

Firstly, if he's blocked out effectively, Adams uses his massive strength to drive his opponent under the basket, giving him excellent position next to the rim.

He's a former junior rugby player so he's adept at bending his knees and driving opponents from the hip rather than simply pushing into their backs and being called for a loose-ball foul.

His favourite trick, however, is the arm grab. Watch for it in the preseason; as soon as the shot goes up Adams will attempt to (very quickly) grab his opponent's arm and forcefully swing it backwards. If he gets a good grip on it, his opponent will be sent off balance momentarily and will, in the process, miss the chance to block Adams out and prevent the offensive board.

After a successful rookie season that included some strong play in the playoffs, it's so far so good for the big New Zealander. But will all the success go to his head? How about the greater expectations of a sophomore season?

"Nothing fazes him," Coach Scott Brooks told Thunder media earlier this year. "All he cares about is eating a lot of food and playing basketball."

Well, we've seen him getting it done on the court and a quick check of Adams' twitter history suggests that Brooks is right on the money regarding the food as well…..